People: Cuba Gooding Jr. receives praise from NAACP

Associated Press

Published Monday, March 08, 2004

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Receiving the NAACP's Image award for his portrayal of James Robert "Radio" Kennedy was particularly sweet for Cuba Gooding Jr., who was stung by criticism that his portrayal of the mentally disabled man was too negative.

"I'm proud of the performance because the man's mannerisms were very indicative of the character that I portrayed," Gooding said after receiving the best actor in a motion picture award Saturday night.

"A lot of the situations in the movie came from actual events," he said. "Sometimes the truth is hard to watch but it's my job to bring the truth to the screen."

Kennedy became an inspiration first for the football team at T.L. Hanna High School and then the entire community.

'Charlie's Angels' airs tonight; scene removed

LOS ANGELES -- NBC cut the final scene in its upcoming movie about the making of the popular television series "Charlie's Angels" after Farrah Fawcett's former manager complained.

Jay Bernstein threatened legal action if the scene was not removed, claiming it impugned his character and harmed his ability to make deals.

NBC spokesman Bob Meyer said the network was aware of Bernstein's complaint, but the ending was altered for artistic reasons.

"They cut it for time and they didn't want to take away the focus from the women," he said.

Bernstein was pleased with the outcome. "I didn't want any money, I just wanted them to remove the scene," he said Thursday.

The scene showed a paunchy, Hawaiian-shirted version of Bernstein on Hollywood Boulevard hustling a blonde in his search for the next Farrah.

Bernstein served as a paid consultant on "Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of 'Charlie's Angels,'" which airs tonight.

The new ending updates viewers on what happened to Fawcett and her co-stars through a voiceover by Wallace Langham, who plays Bernstein.